Report: Cleveland Police Use of Force Meeting Federal Standards

CLEVELAND—Safety officials announced Thursday that the Cleveland police department reached a significant benchmark in its reform efforts, with independent monitors finding cops are using force constitutionally in nearly all incidents.

However, use-of-force incidents rose in 2024.

The report from the independent Federal Monitoring Team stated that 97% of the division’s level one and level two uses of force in 2024 were constitutional. Those are instances in which police use non-lethal force and do not fire weapons. The city received 75 upgrades in use of force alone, marking a key change since the consent decree began nearly 11 years ago.

“When we look at this assessment that came out today, we see that it is a testament to the hard work that our men and women are doing every day,” Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said during a press conference at city hall. “They are out there doing constitutional policing, and this is a reflection of that.”

The consent decree, signed by Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. in 2015, began after the U.S. Department of Justice conducted an investigation that revealed patterns and practices of excessive force used by Cleveland police.

The independent monitor reviewed hundreds of police interactions with the community, including body camera footage, to evaluate officers’ use of force practices and internal accountability measures. According to the assessment filed Wednesday, officers are generally following policies, supervisors are engaged and systems designed to address policy violations are working.

Dr. Leigh Anderson, who leads the city’s Police Accountability Team, said progress has accelerated over the past year after a lengthy period of inaction. When force was used inappropriately, it was identified first by the chain of command and handled within current accountability systems, according to Anderson.

“What they found was that force was used sparingly, proportionally,” Anderson said. “And so now we see that the systems that the consent decree has put in place are actually effectively working.”

Though there has been a positive shift, use-of-force incidents increased noticeably in 2024, particularly those involving violence toward officers and obstruction of justice, according to the report. The monitor indicated this trend needs close attention going forward.

The monitoring team’s assessments covered use of force, crisis intervention, search and seizure, recruitment and hiring, staffing, equipment and resources, and training, in which the department received upgrades in all categories.

The department’s Crisis Intervention Team has achieved the lowest use of force rates in the city’s history, falling below the national average. Anderson attributed this to officers using their training and de-escalation tactics to talk to residents, rather than using force.

Todd emphasized that the department has implemented significant changes to policies, training, and accountability measures, including new dashboards and public reporting mechanisms.

“A big part of it is accountability...and another thing is transparency,” Todd said.

Despite the rise in force incidents, formal complaints about excessive force remained relatively low.

Injuries to members of the public also rose compared to the previous year, according to the report. While most encounters did not result in serious harm, the monitor identified the increase as a warning sign warranting deeper review.

Supervisors at the police division typically recognize when officers use force outside of policy and take action, but documentation and follow-through remain inconsistent. The monitor found that paperwork is not always thorough when violations occur, data shows.

The monitor’s report also showed that taser deployments largely followed department rules, though a small number fell outside policy. Those exceptions primarily occurred when officers failed to clearly reassess situations before deploying the weapon again.

When asked about maintaining reforms after the consent decree eventually ends, Todd said the Police Accountability Team would continue oversight.

“Even if the day comes that the [consent] decree doesn’t exist, the Police Accountability Team is still here,” Todd added.

Officials indicated the next assessment will focus on community engagement and community-oriented policing, with technical assistance from the Department of Justice.

“We are committed to ensuring that the community not only gets an opportunity to look at these assessments, read these assessments, digest these assessments, but also feel what’s happening,” Anderson said. “It’s important that the community feels the changes.”

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